Beginner Friendly Tank and heal?

I’ve been a DPS player since I started at BFA prepatch when I joined WOW. I’ve put a good amount of time into this hunter + a demonhunter and enjoy dpsing. I currently do PVE = m+ and some raids, I do not PVP.

I want to try tanking and healing. Ultimately I would like to be able to have sufficiently geared characters to for each role.

So my question:

What class/classes would you recommend for a newbie to both tanking and healing that are fairly easy to pick up and play?

I would prefer one class that’s decent at both so I can just switch specs (druid/pally r the only ones I think) but this isn’t a necessity.

Many thanks or your time =)

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Congratulations! You have made an impressive career for someone who just joined this expansion. You have achieved the middle-class goals of WoW - Curve, 950 RIO, acing your +10s every week.

That, in a way, makes it even harder to gice you useful food for thought than a raw beginner, because you are already in it, and must already know the basics and have a feel.

I assume that you want your tank/healer to join this upper-middle class lifestyle rather than push into the competitive levels - Mythic, M15++?

If so, the news is good - everyone agrees that every healer and tank is adequate for HC/+ 10. It’s only when you get really competitive that you end up having to support multiple classes for different conditions.

So: play what makes you comfortable.

The hybrid options are actually Druid, Pally, and Monk. Everyone always forgets Monk.

You can get data about who plays what.

You can watch the Method videos and high ranked players’ opinions about what’s hot at the moment, but that difference applies only at higher levels, and it will change every major patch anyhow.

Are you more drawn towards Tank or Heal? If you are looking forward to one more than the other, I’d base my decision on finding your favourite class for that role, and if it turns out that is one of the hybrids, great! but if not, don’t reject it. You will play best in the class you enjoy.

You must also have a sense, from your current play, of what part you’d like to be in. But even so it might be worth watching some videos or streams from people who play your main suspects.

Hey Grainne. As always many thanks for your detailed reply and many thanks for acknowledging my achievements thus far, lets me know im doing alright =P.

Ultimately I will be aiming to have this new char go into the +10 realm of keys with the hope i can push further (one which, at the moment, I’m trying to do on my current dps classes). But I do know my limits and it will take me a while to get used to tanking rather than dpsing keys. I’ll probably aim to sit in the ‘mid key’ range until im confident enough I can push upto the higher level of keys.

Ah yeah id forgotten about monk (silly me). Im drawn more towards tanking at the moment than I am healing and I sort of know the specs that are currently outperforming others but eventually these will be nerfed and others will be buffed to take their place. Im one of these players that sticks to what I find fun rather than chopping and changing based on ‘what’s hot’ at the moment.

I guess based on the above it may be a case, for me at least, to try the classes out and see how I feel playing them and then just go with the one I like. Its sort of typical I kind of answer my own questions =P

I’ll utilise your advice and thank you again for it =)

Beginner friendly tank? I would bet on Paladin or Death Knight.
Beginner friendly healer? Holy priest for sure.

OK, that’s a different story.

If you’re pushing, either to Mythic or to M+15 and beyond, you are taking on new commitments. And I can’t begin to advise you on specifics; it’s above my pay grade.

I can say that you NEED to be active in the Mythic Plus Friends Discord, if you aren’t already:

I can also say that you will want to change your approach over the next few months.

It doesn’t necessarily change your immediate decision, but I do suggest you change your thinking from: “What class should I play as a tank? as a healer?” to “What classES do I need to keep ready to tank?” and “What classES do I need to keep ready for healing?” You may not be there now, but if you follow this path, you will get there.

Maybe you choose a DK now, enjoy tanking, start regularly timing +15s. And you have a Priest you get up to 10s. Maybe you feel the pinch sometimes when the affixes aren’t good for you, but it’s fine. And then 8.2 comes and DKs are nerfed into the ground. You want a backup class - not necessarily at the same readiness as your main, but at least something within range so you can gear it fully in a couple of weeks and get on with things.

And when you start hitting the really high keys, that’s when you will appreciate having a choice of classes available for different party compositions and affixes. Also, if you are playing at that level, you will probably enjoy the challenges and perks of different playstyles.

So sure, for now pick one, and if you can do that with an eye on +15 while economising with a hybrid (which now got more difficult) that’s fine, but broaden your vision a bit before you do. Ask for advice in the Discord; some of those guys live in M+, and can give you specific advice from experience.

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Awesome thank you very much! I’ll take everything you’ve mentioned on board and get a plan I my head of how to proceed.

One of the problems in picking a class is that you are actually trying to do 2 things at once - learn and see if you like a new role; and learn and see if you like anew class. If you try and do healing and tanking at the same time, then it’s actually 4 things at once.

The best thing to do therefore is just to jump into one of the roles, without really stressing too much about which class. If you find you love tanking, then you’ll probably end up with most tank classes at max in the end anyway. And if you hate it…

My personal plan would be to start a DK. They’re in a good place atm if you’re looking at pushing higher keys, but they are also good fun and I like Grip / Mass Grip for helping get mobs where you want them. They also start from level 55, so if you’re not a fan of levelling…

One point to note on tanking levelling dungeons (and actually tanking anything apart from guild runs) is that you need a thick skin. Dps can cruise through instances on autopilot, healers have some pressure (depending on skill and attitude of tank), but tanks are front and centre every time. If something goes wrong, you’ll be blamed!

Tank - Pala DK and warrior
Heal - druid and holy priest

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